A backyard friendly springer for Dad ???

Your dad is indeed a lucky man to have such a thoughtful son. I bet he would treasure a PCP if you gave it to him.

i think the RWS Diana 34 is very accurate inside of 30 yards and i would consider it back yard friendly

The HW 30 is a great choice for your Dad. It's a gun he could shoot all day with no problem. And out to 30 - 35 yards the gun is right on. 4 - 12 power scope and you have a great backyard friendly hunting or target gun. Some may try to tell you you'll need more power to hunt but I'll tell you I just killed a racoon on my roof with a head shot with one of mine. If you buy the Urban Pro with the moderator attached you would have a near silent gun.

Is he able to cock a gun with say 12fpe? The HW30 cocks with about 18 ft lb.

The HW30S Urban Pro is very easy to shoot, very accurate, and pretty quiet with its included silencer. The laminate one is beautiful too. 

I own a 12fpe Walther LGV that comes threaded for a silencer, with a Tanto attached it’s very back yard friendly. The gun is heavy though, and requires about 30 ft lb to cock? Same will apply for the HW97, but the LGV may be easier for him to load. 

Another option is a small SCBA tank and a PCP. If you are able to top it off between visits? 

Anyway, just some thoughts. 

Your father is indeed a lucky man. 

Just get him a regular hw30 in .177. Very accurate and a real joy to shoot. IMHO, silencers are a gimmick on springers and the hw30 is already the quietest German springer you can find.

Defining “backyard friendly” is highly subjective. IMHO, the rws34 or the hw95/hw97 are not backyard friendly.



R

How big is his back yard? I'm guessing less than 20-25 yards. I don't see a need for more power than an HW30 has. It's quiet, easy to cock, and accurate, and it will handle targets, plinking, squirrels, etc in a residential or suburban back yard.

Thanks Oh.. by the way, he could undoubtedly still kick my scrawny butt so cocking any springer will not be a issue.

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In that case, I highly recommend a .177 Walther LGV in 12fpe. Check out my journey with mine. It’s actually quieter than my HW30 Urban after adding a Koi or a Tanto. 

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/intenseaty22s-walther-lgv-master-pro-177/

For the price,ease of cocking,accuracy,sound output,trigger,intended use and overall quality...I would Whole heartedly recommend the HW30.

So easy and enjoyable to shoot, he'll wish pellets came in tins the size of coffee cans!

...just my .02

Mike

If you can find one, I would recommend a CZ 634. The newer ones have a funky looking stock but they are very accurate guns and a little more power than the HW 30. They have been very reasonable too. I am about your dad's age and have shoulder problems and an R9 or 34, while great guns are too much for me for continued shooting.



Good luck and thank you dad for his service,

Bob in WV

I don’t see how you can go wrong with the HW 30/R7 family. It has enough power for the uses and range you describe, it’s gorgeous, easy and pleasant to shoot, very accurate, and very quiet (which really sounds like the most important thing to me). The other guns suggested would all be superb in different circumstances, but don’t fit as well here. The extra power is superfluous and they are heavier, harder to cock, less pleasant to shoot, and significantly louder.

If noise is a concern, also pay attention to the targets and backstops used. The pellet strike can be much louder than the muzzle report.

FWIW, my old R7 is rather magical with 7.3 gr JSB Exacts, or its cousin the Air Arms Falcon. Very accurate, darn near recoilless, and higher velocity than that traditional speed-testing favorite, the 7.0 gr RWS Hobby.

The HW50 would be something to check out too.

For an older guy i would stay away from the underlever due to the small loading port. It can be hard to load and may deter him from shooting.

 Another vote for the HW30S, one other to consider is the Diana 240 from pyramyd air $150 iirc

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If noise is a concern, also pay attention to the targets and backstops used. The pellet strike can be much louder than the muzzle report.

FWIW, my old R7 is rather magical with 7.3 gr JSB Exacts, or its cousin the Air Arms Falcon. Very accurate, darn near recoilless, and higher velocity than that traditional speed-testing favorite, the 7.0 gr RWS Hobby.

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I agree completely on this point. My HW30S is definately quiet. the hit on The Gamo Bone Collector pellet trap at 10m is loud.

. hw50s in either caliber - especially with the vortek pg2 power tune kits (820 in .177 and 650 in .22 with premiers) . cz 634 is hard to find lately, but for that one i would stick with .177 (if he's ok with handling smaller pellets). it took some time and aging for me to come around on the 12 ftlb mindset, but it's about perfect for most suburban backyards whether plinking or pesting. i've wanted an hw99 in .177 - they says it's the same as an hw50s , but idk.

R7 ish seems right. He will be needing a duct seal or rubber mulch pellet trap.

And you say no pcp - gotcha, but- if the R7 at around 7-8fpe works for the intended use it would be easy to tune a pre-charged to get 150-200 shots per fill and it would be quieter.

When he is thinking all the support gear is so much are you refilling ofetn or every 200 shots, make any difference?



John

i've wanted an hw99 in .177 - they says it's the same as an hw50s , but idk.

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That’s correct, the gun now called “HW 50” here, was introduced in the late 1990’s as the “HW 99.” That name is still used in some markets including the UK. This gun was also called the “Beeman R6” when first introduced it here.

The real HW 50 was introduced after WW2 as Weihrauch’s first air rifle, and was discontinued about the time the HW 99 came out. The “new” 50 is similar in size and configuration, but internally is quite different.

So the new gun is either a historical tribute to the old one, or just a prank by HW to fool future collectors - take your pick, LOL...

I second all the calls for the HW30, but agree with some other posters on the efficacy of a moderator on a springer - especially a low-powered one. Virtually all the firing noise is mechanical and I'd be surprised if a moderator had any meaningful impact on the sound as might be heard by a neighbor. Pellet impact can easily be louder than the firing noise from the perspective of a bystander. Also to consider: the moderator adds considerable length to an HW30, making it a lot less handy. 

I have two HW30's, as well as Diana 240, which somebody else suggested. The 240 is nice, but not the same build quality is the HW, and the trigger (T5) is not as nice as a rekord, but the gun shoots very well, cocks even easier than the HW30, the stock feels a little more "adult-sized," and the gun costs less. Overall, the HW30 is a better gun, but the 240 is a heck of a value and a really fun plinker that can be considred, especially if cost is a factor.